Bharrat Jagdeo, who is universally known to masquerade as a bona fide doctor, stands most certainly out of his depth as a political actor. For how else can one explain the hogwash, of unadulterated nonsense, escaping his duplicitous lips every Thursday? In fact, these Thursday press conferences, should be one where the installed Vice President informs the nation on matters of national importance. But with the cretinous Jagdeo, such an undertaking is highly improbable, since he misuses this important medium as an opportunity for ad hominem attacks.
Where case in point is Nigel Hughes, the esteem, charismatic and popular lawyer, who was democratically elected leader of the AFC. But prior to his election as AFC leader, Nigel Hughes counted ExxonMobil Guyana Limited (EMGL), as a client. However, even with this information rightly in the public domain, that couldn’t restrain an excitable Jagdeo, making a mountain out of a molehill, racing out the jackass gates, foaming at the lips, screaming like a feral hog, “Conflict of interest. Conflict of interest. Conflict of interest.”
Thus, we take pause to explore conflict of interest, where the Fair Political Practice Commission states, “one has a disqualifying conflict of interest in a governmental decision, if it’s foreseeable that the decision will have a financial impact on his or her personal finances, or other financial interests.” That is, a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions, or decisions made in their official capacity.
Therefore, to have a conflict of interest, Nigel Hughes would’ve to be positioned in the installed executive or legislature, which make decisions on the EMGL. But Nigel Hughes even as AFC leader, isn’t a party to these governmental institutions, namely the legislature or installed executive. As a result, despite Nigel Hughes counts EMGL as a client, not being a party to the decision-making legislature or installed executive, means there isn’t a conflict of interest.
But despite no conflict of interest exist, Jagdeo in shameless mode, hastened to make idle threats on investigating Nigel Hughes relationship with EMGL, even as his myopic eyes conveniently overlooked the recent HIS Markit Consultancy audit. For HIS-Markit, a reputable British Consultancy, having undertaken an Oil and Gas audit of EMGL, recommended that the installed government, dispute US$214M of the Exxon claimed expenses of US$1.7B.
However, against this advice, the installed government corruptly and clandestinely reduced the disputed US$214M, to a meagre US$3M, and in so doing robbing the taxpayers a whopping US$211M. But this corrupt reduction, which was meant to remain secret in the installed government, was ultimately leaked to the media, forcing Jagdeo to do what he does best; concoct naked lies. And a barefaced liar is he, shifting blame onto GRA’s doorstep, however, GRA was at ready for his lies, proving that the Natural Resource Ministry was written to twice, advising that the audit should close at US$214M.
Now caught exposed with his underpants at his ankles, the shameless Jagdeo turned to his underling Vickram Bharat, who joined the long list of PPP corrupt questioned by FBI Agents, to fabricate a most outrageous lie. And a most outrageous lie was his, alleging that Gopnauth Gossai, a supposed rogue staff within the Petroleum Unit, was responsible for the “unauthorised” reduction of the US$214M disputed amount.
Then having scapegoated Gopnauth Gossai, Jagdeo informed the sceptical nation, that the culprit was severely reprimanded with a written warning, two weeks suspension, along with two weeks pay. However, what escaped the nincompoop Jagdeo is, he is as transparent as a prostitute mini skirt, since this slap on the wrist penalty, evidence that Gossai isn’t guilty of what he is being accused. So even as Jagdeo speaks of investigating Nigel Hughes for a nonexistent conflict of interest, we challenge him to investigate this His-Markit Audit controversy and while he is at it, he can investigate his financial relationship with Su.
